NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has captured a new, detailed view of the Helix Nebula, a structure of gas created by a dying star, located 650 light-years from Earth.

The image, taken by Webb's Near-Infrared Camera, shows the inner region of the expanding gas shell with unprecedented clarity. It reveals comet-shaped pillars and the interaction between fast-moving hot gas from the central white dwarf star and slower, cooler gas and dust ejected earlier in the star's life.

According to NASA, the colours in the image represent different temperatures and chemistries of the gas: blue indicates the hottest material energised by the star's ultraviolet light, yellow shows molecular hydrogen, and red traces the coolest outer gas and dust. This process demonstrates how dying stars recycle material back into space, which can become the raw ingredients for new planets in other star systems.

The Helix Nebula has been observed by many telescopes, including Hubble and Spitzer. NASA states that Webb's new near-infrared view brings previously known "knots" of material into sharper focus and provides a clearer picture of the transition from hot to cool gas as the nebula expands. The agency also notes that dark pockets visible in the image may be regions where more complex molecules are beginning to form.